“Rip off Gozo” – How to Discourage Tourists – Readers Letter

Readers Letter – “Several weeks ago I was visiting Victoria in the daytime on my own and felt unwell. I sat on a wall for a while but then realised that I should return to my home in San Lawrenz.

I was so unwell that I could not use my mobile phone to call home to arrange a lift so, with the aid of my walking stick, I managed to get to the taxi area at Independence Square.

There was just one taxi with a driver asleep in the back. I wakened him and he was very courteous helping me into his vehicle.

Please do not interpret ‘unwell’ as intoxicated. I do have a heart condition and cannot drink alcohol.

There was no meter visible in the taxi so when we reached my home I asked how much I owed. As he again very politely helped me from the taxi he stated that the fare was 23 euro. I paid 25 euro to include a tip and, although shocked, thought little more about it.

Commenting on this high cost of taxis to some friends recently they pointed out that there was a taxi fare tariff on a board in the square which I, being ill, had not noticed. On my next visit to Victoria I checked this to find that the fare should be less than 9 euro.

I live here but fully understand the tourists who tell me about their ‘rip-off’ Gozo experiences. They rarely return.”

9 Responses

Lets hope that somebody from Malta Transport, (who regulate taxis), and the Gozo Ministry read this letter and take some action. There should be a contact telephone number or address on the Taxi Board tariff, I would not get in a taxi that did not have a meter.

Peter Wilson
Editor of the British Residents A.ssociation Gozo Group Newsletter

I would urge Mr. Green to contact Transport Malta, Unless he has a receipt, which I doubt, there can be little done about the situation, but making the relevant authorities aware can’t be a wasted exercise.

On a similar vein ….I was waiting at the bus stop after getting off the ferry from Gozo yesterday and was shocked by the hard sell behaviour of “touts” from the Comino cruise boats ambushing tourists getting off the Arriva buses. People come to Malta and Gozo for a relaxing holiday not to be attacked by a swarm of hard selling parasites. There must have been at least a dozen pestering and haggling with the arrivals on each bus. I am not sure what can be done by the authorities but there has to be a difference between a reasonable sales pitch and criminal harassment.

I had bad experance my self where ever i go in gozo shop keppers, bar .or taxies mistake me as english and i been over charge and one time walk into shop to buy toothpate was no price on I ask how much young girl asseant she dident know then she went to ask her friend at the shop the answer was charge what you like ,,
she is forarner I said hay I am gozition ,both of them went round the back at shop with red faces

I love Malta and Gozo, i am british and i am reading this from Britain, I have been to your country many many times but have stopped now because the last time we came i felt that we were being Charged far too much, in fact, we could buy the same thing at home in Britain for a lot less. If the people of Malta and Gozo continue to be dishonest and charge more to holiday makers then they do to the locals, eventually you will lose the tourist. I myself have stopped coming and i am sure there will be many many more. It is a great shame because i do love Malta and Gozo. Hopefully these people will think about it, if they want the future to be good, they must treat the tourist with the respect and honesty they deserve

your wasting your breath – these traders are all shysters and get the local people a bad name.as well as seriously damaging the tourist trade….I am sure the taxi driver who was sleeping will have a lot more time to sleep when their are no tourists to rob.

But dont despair you are not alone we on Malta have the same thing just much more of it. Even ARMs actively discriminate and rob EU nationals who are resident on Gozo and Malta.